KING'S BAY METROPOLITAN HOTEL
Meanwhile, across the room, Jason
is watching his girlfriend dance. The urge to join her is strong, but he
knows that there is a more serious matter at hand.
"I know it's stupid," Molly is saying,
"but I guess I was hoping, in this kind of dreamy way, that Brent would
have come to the party with me."
"It's not stupid, Molly," Jason says.
"When you've got feelings like that for someone, of course you're gonna
wish that you could be at something like this with them, especially if
it's New Year's Eve."
"Yeah ..." Molly reaches up to brush
back her hair, an instinctive move to fill the space in which her thoughts
overwhelm her ability to speak, but she realizes that she cannot move her
hair, which is swept up tonight. "But I mean, I know it's not possible.
We just don't have that kind of relationship. And to push the boundaries
by spending tonight together wouldn't have been a good idea." She sighs.
"It's just hard trying to block out all these ideas."
"I can imagine."
"Especially because it's been going
on for so long ... It's like it's some kind of pattern or routine now.
I can't not think about Brent, or want him to be here with me."
"Do you think maybe it's more that
than genuine feelings?" Jason asks, darting his eyes around to be sure
that their conversation is private. "That you've gotten so used to putting
Brent in that position in your mind that it just happens automatically?"
"That's the worst part," Molly says,
shaking her head. "If it were just part of some bizarre pattern I'd gotten
into, it wouldn't be so real -- maybe it wouldn't be so painful. But I
keep trying to discredit these feelings in my mind, and ... all I can come
up with is that they are real."
Jason sighs heavily. "I don't know
what to tell you, Mol. I know you realize that this isn't ever gonna go
anywhere -- it can't."
"I do realize that. As much as I
don't want to. But what's even worse is that I feel like it taints our
friendship, like by having these feelings, I make the friendship less meaningful.
And I hate that feeling." She stares off across the room, focusing on nothing
in particular.
Catching the wistful glaze that has
fallen over her eyes, Jason puts an arm around her shoulders. "I know how
rough this is on you. But I want you to know how much I respect you for
handling it the way you are. It must be hard seeing Sarah put him through
all of this ... and I know you've been tempted to just let loose on her.
But you're doing the right thing by trying to stay out of it."
She leans her head on his shoulder.
"And I still wonder if I'm too involved ..."
Jason is in the midst of formulating
a response when he catches sight of the doorway. He considers turning Molly
the other way, but he knows that her eyes are also scanning the room and
he can feel her body tense against his when she sees what he has seen.
They watch in silence as Sarah and
Brent enter the party arm-in-arm.
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